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VOTTO TO BE PRESENTED WITH CANADIAN BASEBALL HALL OF FAME’S TIP O’NEILL AWARD

St. Marys, Ont. – Joey Votto (Etobicoke, Ont.) will be presented with the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame’s 2015 Tip O’Neill Award in a ceremony prior to the Cincinnati Reds game against the Chicago Cubs Saturday at the Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati.

This will be the fifth time in six years that the Canadian first baseman has received the award.

Based in St. Marys, Ont., the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame presents this honour annually to the Canadian player judged to have excelled in individual achievement and team contribution while adhering to baseball’s highest ideals.

To determine the winner, the Hall takes into account a number of criteria, including each candidate’s on-the-field performance, contributions to their team, community and charitable endeavors and support in fan voting.

“Joey Votto had a record-breaking, comeback season in 2015,” said Scott Crawford, the Hall’s director of operations. “But the best thing about him is that he’s a superstar both on and off the field and he continues to be an excellent ambassador for the game of baseball in Canada. We’re proud to once again honour him with this award.”

After being limited to 62 games in 2014, Votto rebounded to hit .314 in 2015 and set new Canadian and Reds’ single-season records for walks (143) and times on base (319). He also topped the National League (NL) in those categories and finished second in the NL in on-base percentage (.459), third in on-base plus slugging percentage (1.000) and fourth in slugging percentage (.541).

Votto, who shared the Tip O’Neill Award with John Axford in 2011, also established a new Reds’ record by getting on base at least twice in a game 107 times and he tied Pete Rose’s franchise mark by reaching base safely in 48 consecutive games. The Canadian slugger’s 7.4 WAR (Wins Above Replacement) ranked fifth in the majors and his 29 home runs tied the second highest single-season total of his career. For his efforts, he finished third in the National League MVP Award voting and was a finalist for the Players Choice Comeback Player of the Year award.

Votto also continues to be very active in charitable endeavors. His ongoing contributions have led to the construction and completion of the 33,000-square foot training center at the P&G Cincinnati MLB Urban Youth Academy. The indoor complex, which bears his name, hosts year-round baseball, softball, educational and vocational programming.

The Etobicoke native has also been a generous donor to UC Health (Greater Cincinnati’s Academic Health System) with a focus on patients living with post-traumatic stress disorder and he has participated in weekly Make-A-Wish experiences at the Great American Ball Park during batting practice.

“It is very humbling to be recognized again by the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame when there are so many deserving players,” said Votto. “I have to thank the Baseball Hall of Fame for its efforts in promoting the players and our game in Canada.”

The Hall’s Tip O’Neill Award is named after Woodstock, Ont., native James “Tip” O’Neill, who was one of Major League Baseball’s first legitimate stars. With the American Association’s St. Louis Browns in 1887, O’Neill set big league records in hits, doubles, slugging percentage and total bases, while compiling a major league record .492 batting average. Walks were counted as hits in 1887, but if O’Neill’s average was calculated by today’s standards, it would be .435, the second highest in big league history to Hugh Duffy (.438).

Canadian Baseball Network

The Canadian Baseball Network ( CBN ) promotes Canadian Baseball players and teams from coast to coast. The Canadian Baseball Network features our Draft List, ranking the top Canadianbaseballprospects and featured articles.